Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records.[1] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.
Background
The album had been a long-rumored project between the country singers for over a decade. It was mostly Parton's idea to bring together the women who made their musical breakthroughs in the '60s. These were also the women who changed the texture of
the music by weaving strands of modern life into the traditional country patterns they grew up with and helped enlarge the audience for country music. Once Parton talked the others into doing the project–an easy argument, by all accounts–she asked Buckingham to co-produce with her.[2]
The original songs by Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette are solo performances by each of them with harmony vocals by Parton and "Sittin' on the Front Porch Swing" is a Parton solo. The album features liner notes written by Ralph Emery.
The review published in the November 27, 1993, issue of Billboard said that the album is "a spirited collaboration that brings together three country music cornerstones and throws in a pinch of Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells for good measure." The review went on to say, "There are a few musically inspired moments here, notably Parton's "Sittin' on the Front Porch Swing" and Wynette's "That's the Way It Could Have Been". But, for the most part, this is more of a nostalgic look back than a celebration of present–day glories."[4]
Kelly McCartney of AllMusic wrote that "for fans of traditional country or great singers, this is a fun listen because it nicely captures three of the best voices around."[3]
Commercial performance
The album peaked at No. 6 on the US BillboardTop Country Albums chart and No. 42 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In Canada, the album peaked at No. 6 on the RPM Country Albums chart and No. 44 on the RPM Albums chart.
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